PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia Police Officer Giovanni Maysonet, 32, was discharged from the hospital Tuesday afternoon, more than a month after he was shot in the line of duty.
Family, friends and members of the Philadelphia Police Department lined the driveway cheering and saluting Maysonet near the emergency room entrance of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center around 1 p.m. as he was wheeled from the hospital and into a car, sending him well wishes as he continues his road to recovery.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw was in attendance. She says the continued love and support from the community is greatly appreciated.
“It’s not over and we tend to forget about our officers who are injured once they’re released from the hospital,” Outlaw said. “There’s subsequent surgeries, there’s relearning how to do things again – it's living a completely different life after being injured.”
Maysonet was shot twice in the abdomen while he and his partner were conducting an investigation of a car with heavily-tinted windows on Feb. 8 near N. 60th and Summer streets in West Philadelphia.
When the officers approached the stopped car from either side, a passenger, later identified as Eric Haynes, got out and turned away from Maysonet. In response, Maysonet grasped his midsection with both hands. That’s when police said Haynes fired his weapon.
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The other officer discharged his gun at Haynes, but he was not struck.
Maysonet’s bulletproof vest caught one of the bullets, but another hit his abdomen and exited through his back.
Haynes, who has a lengthy criminal record, was charged with two counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault on law enforcement and related gun charges.
Maysonet is a five-year veteran of the police force.